Self-leveling grain-cleaner.



0.645.228. vFammi!l Mar. I3; |900. .1.- m. LAsswELL.

S-ELF LEVELIING GRAIN CLEANER.

(Application led Nov. 7, 1899.)

(No Model.)

PATENT EErcEe .IOIIN M. LASSWELL, OF SAN MIGUEL, CALIFORNIA.

SELF-LEVELING G RAIN-CLEANER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 645,228, dated March13, Ieoo. Application filed November 7,1899. Serial No. 736,090. (N0mOdel.)

T0 ctZZ'wtom, it 77mg/ concernf Be it known that I, JOHN M. LAssWELL, acitizen of the United States, residing at San Miguel, county of San LuisObispo, State of California, have invented an Improvement inSelf-Leveling Grain-Cleaners; and I hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to a mechanism by which the cleaning-shoe of'grain-cleaners is automatically kept level transversely and at theproper inclination longitudinally without reference to the tilting ofthe machine while passing over uneven ground.

It consists of the parts and the constructions and combinations of partshereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of thecleaner. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the saine.

As shown in the drawings, A is an exterior casing within which thecleaning-shoe is suspended. In my present illustration the shoe isrepresented as containing the cleaningscreens 2. These screens arecentrally supported upon transverse shafts 3, about which they arefitted to tilt longitudinally. The ends of these shafts are bent atright angles and pass through the vertically-slidable bars 4, in whichthey are loosely turnable. These bars et are connected at the upper endwith a walking-beam 5, which is fixed upon a shaft G, and this shaft hassuspended from it a weight 7. The shaft 6 is so journaled that theweight 7 will swing transversely of the machine, and as it swings itraises one side of the transverse beam 5 and at the same time depressesthe other side. This movement takes place whenever the machine is tiltedto one side or the other, and as one vertical bar 4 goes up and theother goes down the ends of the shafts 3 turn freely-in the bars, andthis allows the screens 2 to maintain an approximately horizontalposition, although the frame and casing of the machine may be tilted toa considerable angle to one side or the other of the vertical.

The screens are connected together by suspending-rods S at each cornerin addition to their support upon the central horizontal shafts 3, andin order to adjust the screens and maintain their proper angle when themachine is tilted forward or back the lowermost screen is connected by acentral link or rod 9 with a crank-shaft 10, the ends of which arejournaled in the sides of the case A, through which they extend and havesuspended from them the Weights 11. These weights are sufficiently heavyto swing whenever the machine tilts forward or back, and acting throughthe crank-arm they either depress or raise the end of the shoe withwhich they are connected by the central link or bar 8, previouslydescribed. Thus when the machine tilts in one direction the swinging lofthe Weights will correspondingly raise the rear end of the shoe anddepress the front end about the horizontal fulcrum-shafts 3 and whentilted in the opposite direction the weights will produce an oppositemovement of the shoe and screens. ments longitudinally and the peculiarconnection of the shoe or screens with the vertically-movable side armsproduces alpractically universal-joint movement which will keep thescreens in their proper position whatever inay be the variation in theinclination of the machine, either sidewise, longitudinally, ordiagonally.

In order to produce a shaking motion of the apparatus, I have shown aserpentine cam 12, with which the lower end of a swinging lever 13 isconnected. This lever is fulcrumed, as shown at 14E, and it will be seenthat the rotation of the serpentine cam bykbelt-pulley or otherconnection with some moving part of the machine will cause theoscillation of the swinging lever 13 about its fulcrum-point. The upperend of the lever13 is connected by a link or connecting-rod 15 with theside of the shoe carrying the'screens, and this connection transmits theshaking motion to the shoe and screens. In order to regulate the amountof shake given the shoe, the fulcrum 14E is slidable upon a guide orguides 16, which support it, and is similarly slidable with relation tothe swinging arm 13. By means of a vertical screw-shaft 17, turnablethrough a threaded portion of the fulcrum-block 18, the latter may beraised or depressed with relation to the support 16 and the swinging arm13, upon which it is slidable. Thus it will be seen that if thefulcrum-block 18 is moved dow-n toward the cam 12 it will shorten thelower arm These two move-v IOO fulcrum-block will correspondinglylengthenV the lower arm of 13 and shorten the upper one, thus reducingthe shake.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters 1. In a grain-cleaning apparatus, the cleaningscreens, a shaft passing transversely across each screen at a pointabout midway between the ends, and upon which the screenv is fulcrumedto tilt longitudinally, a crankarm journaled in the sides of the machineand connected with one end of the screens, and weights depending fromthe ends of the shaft and adapted to tilt and correspondingly move thescreens about their central transverse axis when the machine is tiltedlongitudinally.

2. In a grain-cleaning apparatus, a casing, cleaning-screens supportedupon horizontal shafts, a weighted crank-shaft connected with the end ofthe screens and movable in unison with the tilting of the machine,verticallyslidable side bars in which the screens are supported, atransverse centrally-fulcrnmed bar, to the ends of which the verticalside bars are connected, and a transverse swinging weight connected withthe fulcrum-shat't of the transverse bar whereby the latter isoscillated and the screens are tilted transversely in unison with theside tilting movements of the machine.

3. In a grain-cleaning apparatus, a casing, a transversely-fulcruinedarm having a weight connected with its shaft whereby the arm is tiltedby the swinging of the weight, vertical bars extending downward from theends of said arm, horizontal shafts having their ends bent at rightangles and journaled to and turnablein the vertical arms,cleaningscreenscentrally supported upon the transverse shafts and movable by the actionof the swinging weight, a crank-shaft extendingr across the end of themachine having weights suspended from the shaft ends so as to swing whenthe machine is tilted longitudinally, and a connection between thecrank-shaft and the screens whereby the latter are moved in unison withthe swinging of the weight and the crank-arm. Y

4. In a grain-cleaning apparatus, the combination of cleaning-screens,fulcrumed at points between their ends whereby the ends move in oppositedirections when the screens are tilted longitudinally, a shaft having adepending weight and means connecting the shaft with one end portion ofthe screens, a longitudinal shaft having a depending weight, andconnections between the longitudinal shaft and the screens, said screenshaving their axes mounted in and carried by the connections from thelongitudinal shaft.

5. In a grain -cleaning apparatus, transversely and longitudinallytiltable screens, correspondingly-swinging weights and connectionsbetween the screens and the weights, a screen-shaking mechanismconsisting of an adjustable fulcrumed lever, a serpentine cam with whichone end of the lever engages, means connecting the lever with thescreens, and means for moving the fulcrum whereby the amount 01": shakeis regulated.

6. In a grain-cleaning apparatus, transversely and longitudinallytiltable screens, correspondingly swinging weights, connections betweenthe weights and the screens, a fulcrumed lever connected with thescreens and a serpentine cam with which the lever engages, a slide uponwhich the fulcrum is carried and a guide upon which it is movable, incombination with a screw and worm-gear whereby the fulcrum is moved tolengthen or shorten the stroke of the lever.

In witness whereot` I have hereunto set my hand.

JOI-IN M. LASSWELIJ.

Witnesses:

S. H. N oURsE, JnssIE C. BRODIE.

